Do you need my pic ?

Aku dalam proses memohon pinjaman peribadi dari sebuah bank. Dalam iklan cakap begitu mudah nak mohon. Tapi bila sebenar-benarnya (Yang sebenarnya) dipohon, mereka mintak macam-macam, lepas satu, satu. Kalau mintak sekaligus tak pe la, tapi ini tak, tiap kali call mintak satu benda. Pay slip, pengesahan majikan, salinan buku bank, penyata bank, penyata kwsp, EA form, salinan kad pengenalan, borang J, nanti dia akan telefon majikan, salinan quit rent .... last-last sampai aku sempat tanya "Do you need my pic?".

Tanah Melayu bukan 'heritage' ?

Anwar Ibrahim menganggap gereja All Saints di Taiping sebagai heritage (warisan).

Sebenarnya orang-orang Cina dan India mula menggunakan konsep heritage untuk mempertahankan bangunan-bangunan mereka. Bangunan-bangunan yang dianggap lama meeka anggap sebagai warisan mereka dan mereka mahu mempertahankannya.

Hairannya, Tanah Melayu ini mereka tidak mahu menganggapnya sebagai warisan Melayu. Pendirian mereka ini disokong oleh sebahagian orang-orang Melayu sendiri. Dan orang Melayu yang dianggap kental kemelayuannya pun tidak pula mahu mempromosi Tanah Melayu sebagai warisan Melayu. Lama kelamaan, sedikit demi sedikit, bangunan dan tanah di tanah Melayu akan sebahagiannya dianggap sebagai warisan Cina dan India.

Syed Naquib on 'Allah'

http://www.tranungkite.net/v10/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1680


Prof. Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas on Usage of word "ALLAH"On December 13, 2009, during the Worldview of Islam Seminar organized by the Assembly of Muslim Intellectuals or Himpunan Keilmuan Muda (HAKIM), there was a question being posted to Professor Al-Attas regarding the polemical usage of the word "Allah" by the non-Muslims.

Below is the transcript of his brief-but-yet- concise enlightening remarks. As a word of caution, though, one must not only rely on this brief transcript alone to understand the whole spectrum of Prof. Al-Attas' view about this theological matter.

Further thorough elucidation of his thought can be found in numerous works of this great  Muslim scholar of this age, such as Prolegomena to the Metaphysics of Islam, Islam and Secularism, Islam dalam Sejarah dan Kebudayaan Melayu and A Commentary on Hujjat al-Siddiq of Nur al-Din al-Raniri.

Prof. Wan Mohd Nor and Prof. Al-Attas during the special lecture in the seminar last year.

Question: The using of kalimah “Allah” by other people in this country

Answers by Prof. Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas:

Well I have been talking about this long time ago. I remember about this in ISTAC, when we first established ourselves (late 80’s and early 90’s), I think the Arcbishop of Penang was asking this question. And I have answered that.

And then we had a meeting with the Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur and about all the representatives of Christianity, including the ministers, we had a meeting at ISTAC.

And I said, “Why you want to use the word ‘Allah’ for yourself?”

They said “we going to pray in Bahasa Malaysia”

That’s the way they put it. So my answers to them, “Why you have to change praying into Bahasa Malaysia. You have been praying in English all the time. Why suddenly change into Bahasa Malaysia?”

Ok, so they said they want to change so that it more patriotic. Then in that case I’m saying that “why don’t you use Tuhan while praying in Bahasa Malaysia? Because you are talking about God isn’t it?…God is not just a name…”Allah” is a name of this Being whom you called God… and in fact a Being whom even higher than what you called to be God”

And then I said, “ …and “Allah” is not from Bahasa Malaysia. It is not a national language. It belongs to the language of Muslim all over the world. Therefore your argument using this for the word “Allah” does not fit into your idea of God. Because “Allah” does not have a son,  It is not one of three (Trinity), that is why out of respect to Allah we can’t allow you to use this.“

But when we Muslim, when we write in English we say God, or when we talk to people we say God but we mean “Allah”…but they cannot say when they speak about God it means “Allah” as they don’t mean it.

So in this particular respect, we have to be clear about this, not was-was (hesitate).. .whomever responsible in our governing, they have to be clear about this and to explain to others.

We agree you want to use God, then use Tuhan as we also use that…but we understand in the Malay language that Tuhan is not a translation of Allah..that is why we say “tiada Tuhan melainkan Allah” not “tiada Tuhan melainkan Tuhan”. We don’t say “there is not God but God”..at least the ulama’ among the Muslim Malays, we understand what is the meaning of that (word “Allah”).

So “Allah” cannot be translated as no language has translated Allah. The Arabs themselves they only use that after Islam..although the word existed (before)..the Christians Arab they also did not use Allah (in theological, epistemological and ontological sense in the same manner as the Muslim)..if they say that it is just a language..they talking about language..because they say “Allah” like the Muslim when they (melatah)…

So it appears they want to do that in order to confuse the Muslim into thinking that all the same..that is why I say one of the problems about religion is the nature of God..about who Allah is..that is why in Arkanul Iman (The Pillars of Faith), the first thing is “amana billah”.

“Who is this Allah?” and that need to be explain at higher institution in a proper way…

So we have answer the question. It is not proper to allow them using this, since they asking us and there is no point bringing this to court since this is not a matter of court to decide it whether they have the freedom to use it or not. It is up to the Muslims.

But then if they used it and said “in Indonesia they have use it, why can’t we?”…but it is because of the Muslims..if Muslims don’t care they will go on and use it..and in Indonesia they are using not only that, other things they even call it “choir” as “selawat”. Choir is not a “selawat”, as “selawat” is for Prophet..it’s not singing hymn..

And they also talk about..in Indonesia they are also confuse..Muslims. .that is why this thing happen. Sometimes the language when you come across English words like “Prophet of Doom” in Indonesia they said “Nabi celaka”. How can there be “Nabi celaka”? What is meant by the “Prophet of Doom” is…even the word Prophet in English does not mean “Nabi” only…it means “yang meramalkan malapetaka”..that what it means…so the “Prophet of Doom” means “yang meramalkan malapetaka”, not “Nabi celaka”.

They (the Muslims in Indonesia) seem not to bother about this. What we can say is that ultimately well they say “God is not Allah”...well if you want to use the word God, we are saying we also use the word God, we refer to Allah as we know and we are not saying that your God ultimately will not refer to Allah. You can’t run away from Allah. You can only escape Him and so in the Qur’an (surah An-Naas) says: “Qul aAAoothu birabbi annas, Maliki annas, Ilahi annas”. He (Allah) is saying “ I am the real Ilah (God) of naas (mankind)”, although mankind (non-Muslim) does not interpret it that way.

Orang India mengundi di Negara India

Mulai pilihanraya 2014, kerajaan India akan membenarkan orang India di luar negara (tentunya termasuk Malaysia) samada wargangeara India atau bukan, untuk mengundi dalam pilihanraya di India.

Saya mencadangkan supaya kerajaan Malaysia merancang dari sekarang untuk mengambil langkah-langkah mekanisma mengenalpasti rakyat Malaysia keturunan India yang mengundi dalam pilihanraya di India untuk menarikbalik kerakyatan rakyat Malaysia keturunan India yang berbuat demikian.

Allah yang mana ?

Selepas ini, bila Nik Aziz, Hadi Awang dan lain-lain pemimpin PAS menyebut 'Allah', kita harus tanya 'Allah' yang mana, Allah yang satu atau Allah yang tiga dalam satu ?

Dari Kacamata Melayu: Allah: What in God's name have the Courts done?

Allah for Muslim : http://www.ismail.com.my/AllahForMuslim.htm

Biar mereka guna 'Alah' bukan 'Allah'.

1. Cara orang Kristian menyebut 'Allah' tentu tidak sama dengan cara orang islam menyebut. Bunyi sebutan mereka lebih kepada 'alah', bukan 'Allah'. Jadi, mungkin kita orang Islam boleh benarkan mereka guna 'alah', bukan 'Allah'.

2. Masalah yang dihadapi oleh orang Kristian ialah mereka tidak tahu nama Tuhan mereka. Mereka teraba-raba mencari-cari apakah nama tuhan, tapi tak pernah dapat, lalu mereka pun beranggapan bahawa orang lain pun tidak tahu nama Tuhan. Bagi mereka 'Allah' itu bukan nama Tuhan, tapi nama am iaitu bagi mereka 'Allah' bermakna 'Tuhan'.

1. Dalam syahadah, kita menyebut 'Tiada Tuhan melainkan Allah'. Kita tidak menyebut 'Tiada Tuhan melainkan Tuhan'. Kita juga tidak menyebut 'Tiada Allah melainkan Allah'. Syahadah dengan sendirinya memberi pengertian bahawa 'Tuhan' adalah nama 'am' sementara 'Allah' adalah nama khusus/khas.

2. Dalam Quran, 'Tuhan' disebut sebagai 'Rabb', sementara 'Allah' ialah 'Allah'. Ini menunjukkan bahawa dalam Quran,  'Tuhan' adalah nama am sementara  'Allah' ialah nama khusus/khas.

3. Dalam Kristian, mereka tidak ada nama khusus bagi Tuhan mereka, lalu mereka beranggapan bahawa orang Islam juga sama seperti mereka iaitu tiada nama khusus bagi Tuhan. Jangan terperangkap dengan cara mereka, nanti kita juga beranggapan Tuhan tidak bernama.

4. Bible Inggeris seluruh dunia tidak pernah menggunakan 'Allah' sebaliknya menggunakan God atau Jesus sedangkan bible mereka dianggap lebih asli dari bible arab atau bible Melayu. Bible Arab atau Melayu hanyalah terjemahan dari bible Inggeris. Kita ingat bahawa Kristian berkembang dari tanah Israel ke Eropah/Vatican, jadi bible Eropah adalah lebih asli dari bible Arab atau Melayu.

5. Bible Melayu hanya berupa terjemahan dari bible asal dalam bahasa Inggeris. kalau bible dalam bahasa Inggeris tidak menggunakan 'Allah' tetapi 'God'/Jesus, seharusnya terjemahan God dalam bahasa Melayu adalah Tuhan/Jesus/Almasih, bukan 'Allah'.

6. Dalam Quran, disebut bahawa nabi Adam dan nabi Ibrahim dan lain-lain nabi menyebut 'Allah' sebagai nama khusus bagi Tuhan. Ini bererti sejak asal memang 'Allah' itu nama khusus bagi Tuhan. Jika ada penggunaan 'Allah' yang tidak membawa makna ia sebagai nama Khusus, ia adalah penyelewengan.

7. Sebagai penyelesaian, saya cadangkan supaya Kristian dibenarkan menggunakan 'alah', bukan 'Allah' kerana bunyi sebutan mereka memang begitu iaitu berbunyi 'alah', bukan 'Allah' seperti yang disebut oleh orang Islam.